Seed disinfectant



Patented Jan. 16, 1934 SEED DISINFECTANT Morris S. Kharasch, Chicago, Ill., assignor to E. I. du Pont de Ncmours & Company, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Original application May 15, 1929,

Serial No. 363,401.

Divided and this application May 12, 1930. Serial No. 451,851

4 Claims. I (Cl. 167-38) This invention relates to the use of mercury hydrocarbon compounds for the treatment of seed and plant diseases, and more particularly to the use of alkyl and aryl mercury hydrocarbon 5 compounds, either as such or mixed with a diluting ingredient of neutral, acid, or alkaline character, for this purpose.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 363,401, filed May 15, 1929.

It was noted by Gassner and Ilse Esdorn, Arbeiten aus der Biologischen Reichsanstalt, Vol. 11; p. 375-377 that water solutions of methyl mercuric iodide are twenty times more effective than mercuric chloride against the spores of been employed in the economic control of disease,

first because of its high toxicity to human beings, and second because of the fact that in the form .in which it was tested it is too toxic to plant life to be of practical value. Solutions of this kind, for example, if used for treating diseased grain, kill the seeds as well as the disease germs. This high toxicity to plant life is also characteristic of aqueous solutions of other alkyl mercuric salts, such for-example as methyl mercuric chloride, ethyl mercuric chloride, propyl mercuric iodide, propyl mercuric hydroxide, etc., and it has not in the past been found practicable to use these materials for the treatment of seed diseases. 1

I have been able to overcome these serious objections by employing these mercury compounds in a different form. I have found for example that if I employ them in small percentage, mixed with dry powdered diluents, I can use the dry mixture thus obtained for the treatment of seeds by a dusting process, and that when seed is so treated, under proper conditions I can obtain ex-' vantageously disinfected by my process include wheat, oats, potatoes, beans, peas, barley, cabbage, maise, corn, cotton, etc.

In order to disclose my invention in more detail, the following examples of actual embodiments thereof are presented. It is to be understood, of course, that these examples are furnished for illustrative purposes only, and that it is not my intention to be limited to the proportions or ingredients therein set forth.

stinking smut. This product, however, has never Example 1 Ethyl mercuric chloride is mixed with an inert ingredient, such as talc, diatomaceous earth, or chalk or hydrated lime, or a mixture of two of the aforementioned inert ingredients in propor tion anywhere from one to ten percent, a twopercent mixture of the ethyl mercuric chloride and 98 percent of an inert ingredient, or 98 per cent of a mixture of two of the above mentioned ingredients being the preferred embodiment. The product resulting therefrom is dusted on the seed in proportion of one to four ounces per bushel, two ounces being the preferred amount.

Example 2 1 parts of propyl mercuric sulfate are' intimately mixed with 98% parts of clay. The resulting product will be found well adapted for the dusting of seeds, such for example as wheat,

cats or barley, for the control of certain seed-born diseases. 7

Example 3 Example 4 2 parts of phenyl mercuric acetate are mixed with 93 parts of tolanite, 3 parts of hydrated lime and 1 partof charcoal. This product can be used successfully for the dusting of seed corn for the control of disease.

Example 5 part of methyl mercuric chloride and 5 parts of chlorphenol mercury acetate are intimately mixed with 50 parts of talc and 44 parts of finely divided clay. This product will be found well adapted for the dust-treatment of seeds for the control of disease.

It is understood, of course, that I do not wish to be limited to the inert materials used, as other material giving similar results may be used, norv to the exact type of alkyl mercuric salts,- since others may also be employed, such for example as the cyanide, phosphate, acetate, etc.. While the aryl mercury hydrocarbon compounds .are effective we ordinarily prefer to use the alkyl compounds, such for example as ethyl mercuric acetate.

It is to be understood that these alkyl or aryl mercury hydrocarbon compounds may also be used in conjunction with other seed disinfectants, such as chlorphenol mercury-chloride, or copper carbonate, or some such product, in order to reinforce their effectiveness by utilizing the high bactericidal value of the alkyl or aryl mercury compounds. As many apparently widely difierent embodiments of this invention may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, it is to be un-- derstood that I do not intend to limit myself to the specific embodiments thereof except as indicated in the appended claims.

I claim: 1. A disinfectant in dust form for the control of seed and plant diseases, comprising in combination an alkyl mercuric acetate and a dry diluting I agent.

2. A disinfectant in dust form for the control of seed and plant diseases, comprising in combination an ethyl mercuric acetate and a dry diluting agent.

3. As a seed disinfectant in dust form, a composition comprising an alkyl mercuric acetate.

4. As a seed disinfectant in dust-form, a composition comprising an ethyl mercuric acetate.

. MORRIS S. KHARASCH. 

